After a crazy bet ten years earlier, Klaus and Caroline find themselves speed dating together.

Secret Love Song

Klaus He'd almost left about five times.

After all, there was nothing worse than sitting by yourself in a room full of people. It was crazy, right? He'd told himself that so many times but yet here he was looking like a creepy desperado trying to pick up younger women in a college bar.

The Heights Harvard to be exact. The same bar he'd frequented while at law school. It had been about nine years since he'd last visited but the place still looked exactly how he remembered it. Klaus was currently a successful attorney in New York City, a partner at one of the top law firms. A feat unheard of for his age. His career accolades had buoyed him considerably but the continuous one night stands and the revolving door of women had left him somewhat empty.

Just like she'd told him all those years ago in this very bar.

He wanted to prove her wrong and not bother showing up but Klaus also knew that deep down he had an ulterior motive. And that in itself scared the hell out of him.

He tore at his beer label anxiously wondering if this was possibly the stupidest thing he'd ever done. Probably so if the violent swirling in his stomach was anything to go by.

Klaus Mikaelson didn't do nervous.

Until right now.

10 years earlier

"Speed dating on Valentine's Day, really?" Klaus wasn't a fan of the Hallmark Holiday as it was but witnessing the room full of singles play musical chairs in the hopes of trying to find love was too much to stomach.

"If they want to speed date what business is it of yours, Mikaelson?" He knew that melodic but annoying voice without having to turn his head.

"Who invited you, Forbes?"

"It's a free bar," she shot back and Klaus could tell she was rolling those expressive but annoying blue orbs in his direction. "And it's not my fault if my best friend, who happens to be your sister, and her boyfriend, who happens to be your best friend, invited me."

"Lucky me," he growled, his arm reaching for his date and pulling her towards him possessively almost as a shield against her usual animosity. "How about a drink, Chloe?"

"My name is Amanda," she scowled, her dark hair whipping around fiercely and grazing his cheek in the process.

"Of course it is," he mumbled, trying to come up with an excuse as to why he'd confused his current date with the one he'd had two days earlier. Or was it the girl from a week ago?

"I'd probably have a better chance of meeting a nice guy speed dating," she hissed, standing up and stalking away.

"What did you do this time, Nikalus?" Rebekah inquired, arching her left eyebrow curiously.

"Just the usual," Caroline chirped, obviously enjoying his frustration. "You really should come with a warning."

"There's that cute banter we all love, it's like we never left you twenty-four hours ago doing exactly the same thing," Enzo offered, taking a seat beside Rebekah.

"Oh please," Klaus groaned. "Nothing stick-up-her-ass Forbes and I do is cute."

"Yes, that would be rather difficult with man-whore Mikaelson here."

"It's not cute, Lorenzo," Rebekah agreed. "It's outright nauseous."

"Here I was enjoying a date on my own and then the peanut gallery had to arrive and ruin it."

"I think you were doing that all on your own, Niklaus," Caroline mimicked. Klaus winced knowing she only did that to annoy him and it was working. "Why don't you try your hand at some speed dating, it looks like it's about to start."

"Now that I would pay to see," Rebekah chuckled. "Can we please get some popcorn to go with the show?"

"Surely two minutes of Niklaus Mikaleson is enough to scare those poor, hopeful girls away." Enzo teased, helping himself to the bowl of chips Klaus had paid for. He pulled them forcefully away from Enzo's greedy grasp.

"You three are bloody hilarious." Klaus Mikaelson didn't do relationships, let alone speed dating to eventuate in possibly being imprisoned in one. "I will never speed date as long as I live and that's a promise. I'm not that desperate."

"Maybe not now, but what about ten years down the track when you're no longer mobbed by giggling, immature sycophants who don't know any better?"

"I'll be doing just fine, Forbes. Have you seen this face? Anyway, we can't all be bitter shrews who haven't been laid in forever."

"Well, when the pool consists of asshats like you, Mikaelson, I'd take celibacy any day. In ten years' time, when I'm happily married this memory will be a blip on my college radar and you'll still be sleeping with randoms pretending everything is fine and you're not at all empty inside."

"Oh really?" He asked, trying to ignore just how annoying but adorable she looked when she was being judgmental.

"Really."

"Fine, prove it," he shot back, the confusion on her face evident. "We meet up here in ten years if life hasn't turned out as perfectly as you seem to think it has."

"For what exactly?" Klaus didn't respond immediately, just gestured to the couples over the other side of the room."We speed date."

"That's crazy," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're crazy."

"Yeah, even I think you've gone a little cuckoo, Niklaus," Enzo shared.

"Scared?"

"What are we? Ten years old?" She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"If you believe the future is going to be as rosy as you say then surely there's nothing to be afraid of? After all, it is just a little speed dating with yours truly."

"Fine," she conceded, reluctantly taking the hand he offered.

Klaus didn't miss the bolt of electricity he felt and judging by her reaction she hadn't either.

Present Day - Caroline

"I'm not going in, this is nuts," Caroline said into the phone, noticing her sentence end with barely a squeak.

"You made this bet, Caroline," she insisted. "The least you could do is go through with it."

Caroline rolled her eyes wondering why she thought calling Rebekah was a great idea. She was his sister after all. Klaus had actually made the bet but yet here she was readying herself for that sexy but annoying smirk when she walked through the door. Her mind travelled back to ten years earlier wondering why she thought putting herself through this humiliation was such a great idea.

No, she knew exactly why. Life hadn't turned out at all like she'd planned.

She assumed Klaus would show, he was still a prolific womanizer by all reports and he had nothing to lose from showing up. Caroline knew the only reason he would be there was to torment her mercilessly because her unrealistic visions of a husband, two kids, a Golden Retriever, and a white picket fence had failed to materialize. She'd cry if it wasn't so pathetic.

Caroline knew she was a workaholic; it was the reason she was currently a well-respected news anchor in London. After interning at the Boston Globe after college, Caroline had taken an assignment as an international correspondent covering anything from war zones to royal weddings. Her recent promotion to news anchor of the most highly rated breakfast program in the United Kingdom was the result of hard work and long hours. The combination making it practically impossible for a personal life.

Even though every fiber in her being was telling Caroline not to meet him, there was an underlying niggling that had pushed her halfway across the world. "I should have never come," she murmured, forgetting that she was talking to her best friend. "You know he'll never let me live this down."

"You needed to find out, Care," Rebekah replied honestly.

"That's easy for you to say," she grumbled. Her best friend had a perfect life, down to the four-legged canine (just replace the Golden Retriever with a Cavoodle named Sonny). Not that she begrudged Rebekah and Enzo for being the best married couple she knew; she just associated their nuptials three years earlier with the scene of a very messy crime.

"You do realize that the best day of my life was supposed to be about me right? Not you and my idiotic brother? I'm seven months pregnant, Care, and the way I see it you have two choices. You sort this mess out now so as not to overshadow the arrival of my firstborn or you risk ruining another life-altering moment with your indecision."

"Wow, you really have that guilt thing down. I pity your future children."

"Thank you but stop changing the subject." Before Caroline could deflect like she usually would, her phone beeped signalling an incoming message.

"Oh, I have a message, gotta go BFF," she replied chirpily before disconnecting. She was expecting a lead on her latest story so assumed that would be it.

You realize I can see you pacing outside, right Forbes? Caroline closed her eyes momentarily; although she didn't recognize the number she knew it was him. After the wedding, Caroline had changed her number thinking it was for the best. She certainly didn't want to rehash events again or risk repeating them.

How did you get this number?

Why don't you just come inside and I'll tell you ; )

You are insufferable, Mikaelson. And since when do you use emojis?

Speed dating is about to start, wouldn't want you to miss out.

I hate you.

Oh, there's that unapologetic venom I've missed. A bet's a bet, love.

Ten minutes later…

"Feeling a little less hostile now, sweetheart?" He asked, those annoying but disarming dimples making an unwanted appearance.

"Hostility and you go hand-in-hand, Mikaelson, I thought you'd know that by now," she shot back. "Two tequila slammers are not nearly enough to numb the hostility."

"Well, I couldn't have you too drunk for speed dating, I mean what if you meet the one and you're too inebriated to notice?"

"You can't be serious? We are not speed dating."

"I'm deathly serious, I even registered us before you arrived."

"There's that smug arrogance I haven't missed. How did you know I'd even show up?"

"Besides you pacing outside the bar for fifteen minutes?" He asked, cocking his left eyebrow teasingly. "I assumed had you met the guy to go with the picket fence scenario I would have at least scored an invite to the wedding. I mean we certainly have a good track record when it comes to those sorts of events."

"Unbelievable," she scoffed. "I really shouldn't be surprised that you are exactly the same immature guy from all those years ago."

"And you are still the same judgemental girl, it's like we've been transported back in time."

"Um, excuse me? Speed dating is about to start," a nervous-looking guy approached them.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Caroline smiled, feeling suddenly invigorated. "I can't wait to find a guy who is loving, kind and obedient."

"It's not 'find your pet dog' speed dating, Forbes," Klaus growled. "Although it doesn't surprise me that you'd like someone who'll quietly put up with your constant attitude."

"Says the guy who'd prefer a woman not to talk at all, wouldn't want it to interfere with all of the meaningless sex, right?" They were both looking at the organizer now for some sort of response. He chose that moment to scurry far away from their argument obviously hoping that they wouldn't follow.

Ten minutes later…

"So, Chip, you like exercising?" Caroline was seated at the corner table trying to ignore Klaus making eyes at his current speed date.

"It's Chad," he offered, his gaze following her distracted one. "And yes, I suppose being a personal trainer means that I enjoy exercising."

"You don't say, what a coincidence," she smiled, trying to regain her composure. Klaus Mikaelson always had the annoying way of distracting her.

"I told you that when I sat down," he reiterated. The bell sounded and he stood up, Caroline couldn't miss the relief cross his face. Well, she didn't like him much anyway, too many obvious muscles.

"I'm Chelsea."

"Of course you are," Klaus replied, trying to work out whether Caroline liked the guy with all the muscles she was currently paired with across the room. Why did he need to wear such a tight shirt anyway?

"But you called me Caroline," she insisted. Klaus couldn't help it. Sure she was pretty enough but he really wished it was Caroline sitting across from him, even if she was annoying.

Ten minutes later…

"I love dogs too," Caroline cooed. "It's great to find someone who likes the same things."

"Because he's the only guy in the world who likes dogs," Klaus joked sarcastically. They were now seated at adjacent tables, only two minutes away from their very own speed date. To say they'd both been distracted would be an understatement and everyone in the room had noticed.

"Would you please mind your own business? Scott and I are trying to have an adult conversation, something you would know nothing about."

"Excuse me? I have no interest whatsoever in your boring conversation. Hannah and I were talking about our shared love of parasailing."

"You realize he's scared of heights, right Hannah?" Caroline shared. "I wouldn't want you to get your hopes up about someone who's obviously a compulsive liar."

"Says the woman who lives in a dream world? Scott, don't be fooled. You might both love dogs but she wants a Golden Retriever called Brinkley after the dog in You've Got Mail, that's non-negotiable. Do you really want someone making decisions from bad movies for you?"

"It seems like you two know a lot about each other," Hannah offered. "Maybe it's time we switched, Scott?" He nodded in agreement and before they knew it, Klaus and Caroline were seated together.

"Way to ruin my speed date, Mikaelson," she muttered, not bothering to look at him.

"You were doing that all on your own."

"What are we doing here?" She huffed, finally raising her eyes to meet his. "We are both successful professionals who don't need to speed date, especially at a college bar with people ten years younger."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you were right," he said, his fingers tapping nervously on the table.

"Of course I'm right, we are too old for this," she muttered. "I think the tequila has well and truly worn off."

"No, I meant you were right ten years ago." Caroline raised her eyebrows curiously, not expecting him to be so candid. Klaus Mikaelson didn't do honesty easily. "I do feel empty."

"I probably shouldn't have said that," she conceded. "I always have this way of speaking before I think."

"You don't say?" Klaus teased. "I don't think I realized I actually felt that way until three years ago."

"If you're messing with me…"

"You and I both know that I don't do vulnerable, Forbes. But yes, you annoy me a lot but for some reason I can't stop thinking about you, about what happened between us."

"Way to flatter me, Mikaelson," she chuckled, despite the relative seriousness of the subject matter. "Sorry, I joke when I'm nervous."

"Why are you here really?" He implored, those blue eyes boring into hers earnestly, surprising her.

"Okay everyone, switch partners." Caroline had barely noticed the bell let alone the fact an over-eager redhead was edging her way towards Klaus.

"He's taken," she said, not meaning to sound quite so possessive.

"Easy tiger," he smiled seductively in her direction. "Best you keep moving darling, she can't be held responsible for her actions."

"You're an ass," she scoffed, once the redhead had moved for her own safety. "But as you so eloquently put it earlier, I don't have the life I so naively envisaged all those years ago in this very bar."

"And apparently I have the life you predicted for me," he murmured, placing his hand over hers. "I meant what I said and I'm not here to say I told you so and I'm definitely not here to speed date," Klaus said, warning away Caroline's next speed date with his eyes.

"So, why are you here exactly?"

"Because I love you, Caroline Forbes, so much sometimes it hurts," he admitted, a slight blush crossing his cheeks. "I think I probably always have."

"Well," she grinned. "You're lucky I happen to love you too but the golden retriever is non-negotiable, Mikaelson. So is making you watch You've Got Mail until you love it as much as me."

"I'm willing to put up with Tom Hanks on repeat if it makes you happy, love," he joked, placing a kiss on her hand. "But don't think I won't make you do things too."

"How about we get out of here and you tell me exactly what you want me to do to you," she purred, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before dragging him from the bar.

When Caroline and Klaus announced their engagement three short months later, Enzo and Rebekah promised their speed date would get a mention in the wedding speeches. They didn't mind given it was how they finally got together and lived happily ever after with their two kids and a golden retriever named Brinkley.